After moving indoors, I set up a number of three-inch Shoot-N-C target dots and shot them at 50 feet as fast as I could work the trigger and get the front sight back on target. I feel that this is as good a way as any to test the gun's combat accuracy, sight visibility, trigger smoothness and general handling qualities. Since there is no way to recreate combat stress for a gun test, fast follow-up shots seem to be a reasonable compromise. I used the same loads as I did for the 25-yard test and noted that I was grouping a bit to the right.

(Right) Super-Luminova sights are quite effective for reduced-light situations. They must be charged, but they glow brilliantly. (Left) A weapon-mounted light is merely a supplement to the handheld model.

At first I thought that this was due to my lack of trigger control, but after it continued through several loads, I decided to drift the rear sight a bit. This resulted in a number of nice rounded groups in the center of the Shoot-N-C dot. From there on, keeping reasonable rapid-fire groups proved to be no problem. The gun also proved to be quite reliable with no malfunctions whatsoever after several hundred rounds. In an attempt to get the gun to jam, Jack and I returned to the great outdoors and threw the HK into a snow pile. After pulling it out, we continued to fire it without malfunction, though it did throw snow all over our faces.

I'm not going to kid the readers: The double-action trigger was not the best I have ever felt. While certainly manageable, it was a heavy 10 1/2 pounds. The single action was a reasonable 51/2 pounds with a bit of overtravel once the hammer fell. If I were to carry this gun with this trigger system, it would be in the cocked-and-locked mode, but again, the LEM trigger is the way to go. An overtravel stop, such as that found on the HK Expert model, would help here.

Make sure that the overtravel screw is locked in place so that it cannot back out if you decide to go this route. Some will say that such a modification has no place on a combat gun, but it has been my experience that anything that can be done to improve trigger action is worth exploring provided it does not affect reliability. The late Jeff Cooper had it right: A fighting pistol needs a good trigger, good sights and complete reliability.

Does the HK .45 measure up to Col. Cooper's highly regarded standard? I would say so, though I don't think he would have approved of the trigger action. But as I said before, the 1911 and single-action trigger system are not for everyone, and for those who want something different, the Heckler & Koch .45 will likely fill the bill.